This application claims the benefit of European Patent Application No. 99850076.3, filed May 6, 1999.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic public toilet for outdoor use having a public part confined by a roof, four walls, and comprising a lavatory unit including a toilet seat and bowl, the lavatory unit being supported on a wall of the toilet, wherein the floor is movable into and out of the public part of the toilet and the cleaning device for the floor is placed outside the public part.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to provide a fresh and hygienic appearance for the user thereof, public toilets of the kind referred to above are automatically cleaned after use. Public toilets of the kind referred to above is known from DE-Al-40 06 676 and WO 94/01627, the floor in those toilets consisting of the upper part of an endless conveyer. The use of an endless conveyer requires a relatively large space under the floor and is a rather expensive construction. HYGIFLO(copyright). JCDecaux, France commercialises an automatic public toilet in which the floor and the wall supporting the lavatory unit are tilted during cleaning, the cleaning of the lavatory unit and the floor being made with the same cleaning device. Such a cleaning device makes use of a lot of water for cleaning and demands also a powerful drying device for drying after cleaning.
The object of the present invention is to provide a floor and its cleaning device of a toilet of the aforementioned kind which is of a simple construction a can be produced in a cost effective manner.
This object is achieved by an automatic public toilet for outdoor use having a public part confined by a roof, four walls and a floor, and comprising a lavatory unit including a toilet seat and bowl, the lavatory unit being supported on a wall of the toilet, wherein the floor is movable into and out of the public part of the toilet and the cleaning device for the floor is placed outside the public part, characterised in that the floor is rotatable round a vertical axis.
In a preferred embodiment the cleaning device for the floor is disposed in a service part of the toilet and consists of a row of spray nozzles and a scraper. The row of downwardly directed spray nozzles is preferably supported by an elongated hollow bar and extend along the length thereof, the bar being extended in a horizontal direction from near the rotational centre of the floor a distance that at least is equal to the largest extension of the floor during the rotation thereof. Furthermore, the elongated bar is provided with a scraper element on the underside thereof. The floor is circular and contains an opening which extends radially from near the centre of the floor to the perimeter thereof or to a point near the perimeter of the floor and a waste basket having an opening with the same area as the opening in the floor is attached to the underside of the floor. Alternatively, the waste basket has the same longitudinal extension as the opening in the floor and is placed in the service part of the toilet under the scraper. The floor is advantageously perforated.